John Arden started his professional literary career at the Royal Court under the direction of George Devine. Among his early work belong the plays The Waters of Babylon (1957), Live Like Pigs (1958) and probably his best-known play Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance (1959). Arden, today a highly praised and appreciated playwright, received mostly bad reviews at the time of his productions in the 1950s. Critics slammed his early plays because of their difficult themes and complex style. Here is what the Sunday Times critic Harold Hobson wrote after the production of Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance: “Another frightful ordeal. It is time someone reminded our advanced dramatists that the principal function of the theatre is to give pleasure…It is the duty of
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Esslin brings up an excellent point in his book, mentioning the fact that even naturalistic playwrights such as John Osborne and Arnold Wesker were unable not to get a taste of Brecht’s legacy in their writings. Of course, naturalistic plays were the opposite of what Brecht tried to achieve, nonetheless, some of Brecht’s techniques did manage to imprint themselves in the works of realist writers nonetheless. Arnold Wesker’s work resembles Brecht in his use of storytelling devices that are present in works such as Chips with Everything (1962) or Their Very Own and Golden City (1966). Wesker shared the leftish beliefs with Brecht and also used his art to warn about bourgeoisie. When asked whether he lets his feelings influence his work, Wesker answered:
No, it [the pessimistic conclusion of Wesker’s plays Talking about Jerusalem and Chips with Everything] reflects very simply one of the functions of art – to serve as a warning. Chips is a warning. It says to the ruling class: you can no longer kid us. We know the way it happens. And to those who are ruled: look, boys, this is the way it happens, and this is the way it will end if you don’t recognize that you are very sweetly but very definitely being put in your
Esslin brings up an excellent point in his book, mentioning the fact that even naturalistic playwrights such as John Osborne and Arnold Wesker were unable not to get a taste of Brecht’s legacy in their writings. Of course, naturalistic plays were the opposite of what Brecht tried to achieve, nonetheless, some of Brecht’s techniques did manage to imprint themselves in the works of realist writers nonetheless. Arnold Wesker’s work resembles Brecht in his use of storytelling devices that are present in works such as Chips with Everything (1962) or Their Very Own and Golden City (1966). Wesker shared the leftish beliefs with Brecht and also used his art to warn about bourgeoisie. When asked whether he lets his feelings influence his work, Wesker answered:
No, it [the pessimistic conclusion of Wesker’s plays Talking about Jerusalem and Chips with Everything] reflects very simply one of the functions of art – to serve as a warning. Chips is a warning. It says to the ruling class: you can no longer kid us. We know the way it happens. And to those who are ruled: look, boys, this is the way it happens, and this is the way it will end if you don’t recognize that you are very sweetly but very definitely being put in your